The present invention is in the technical field of nanotechnology. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of nanomaterial manufacturing. More specifically, the present invention is in the technical field of graphite exfoliation.
Graphite is a well known material occurring in natural and synthetic forms. Graphite is made up of layered sheets of hexagonal arrays or network of sp2-carbon atoms, called graphene. A useful form of graphite is exfoliated graphite. Exfoliated graphite generally is exfoliated or partially delaminated graphite having a Braunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area greater than BET surface area of graphite but less than BET theoretical surface area of single graphene sheet.
Exfoliation of graphite can be performed by applying heat to graphite by a variety of means. Heating by direct application of heat generally requires a significant amount of energy, especially in the case of large-scale production. Radiofrequency (RF) or microwave expansion methods can heat more material in less time at lower cost.